| Description |
Translation (Seng Pan)
This is how Kachins started divination by Shaba leaf (it's a kind of thin, long leaf). Long ago, there was a man called Nhkum Tu Yau. He was the great grandfather of one of Kachin clans, Nhkum. He enjoyed hunting. He was very good at it and spent his time in the forest. There were no animals which were not dead when he shot. One day, he could shoot a wild boar and covered it with leaves. He cut a wild boar's ear and took it back home. That time, there was a fortune teller in his village. The fortune teller used a stone to foretell. Therefore, Nhkun Tu Yau planned to test what he predicted was correct or not. Before divination by Shaba leaf, Kachins swung a stone by tying with a string to foretell. That stone was called Nhkrut. Nhkum Tu Yau told the fortune teller that he shot a wild boar. But he didn't mention it was dead and he cut one of its ears. He asked him to foretell the wild boar would die and he could eat it or not. The fortune teller swung his stone and told that the boar wasn't dead. It was alive and already walked away. Then he said it's already dead and showed the boar's ear. The fortune teller was so embarrassed and threw his stone away. It was broken into pieces and spread to different corners. The next morning, Nhkum Tu Yau called the villagers to cut up the boar. They brought baskets and followed him. When they arrived, they found out the boar was missing. Nhkum Tu Yau was shocked as the boar he shot disappeared. So, they followed the footprints to look for the boar. And at last they arrived at the world of spirits and Sun. The spirits there told, "Nhkum Tu Yau, don't follow the boar anymore. We will give you a powerful drug. The leaves that you used to cover the boar were the magical leaves. Those can resurrect the dead. That's why the boar that you shot resurrected and run away. But don't worry! We will give a powerful drug to you and your Nhkum family as a gift." (That's why Kachins believe that getting a massage from Nhkum families can make them relieve the pain. They accept Nhkum's hands are magical drugs.) Nhkum Tu Yau went back home after receiving the gift. When he arrived at the village, he said the Fortune teller, "What you foretold was completely correct. As I covered the dead boar with magical leaves, it resurrected." They realized that the stone which was thrown away was really powerful. Therefore they decided to look for it. As the fortune teller heaved it, it was broken into pieces and they were scattered to different places. One piece hit Shaba leaf and dropped near it. Since the stone was powerful, they thought the leaf that was hit by a broken piece of stone would also be magical. So, they decided to use Shaba leaf in foretelling since the stone was already broken. Kachins lived by practicing the divination by Shaba leaf whether the animals would be caught or not when they went hunting, whether they would win the enemies in war or not, or whether it was a good land to build a house or not.
Transcription (Lu Awng)
Ndai Jinghpaw ni shaba lap wawt wawt ai lam maumwi rai na re. shaba lap wawt wawt ai maumwi rai na re, moi ndai anhte nhkum ni a kaji kawa rai nga ai nhkum tu yau ngu ai wa nga ai. Nhkum tu yau nga gaw shan grai gap ai wa re. Shan gap ai shi nam de galoi mung hkawm ai shi gap dat ai shan ni nsi ai ngu mung nnga shi manu mana jaugawng kaba ngu kaw hkrak baw kaw nga baw kaw hkrak hkra gap dai kalang mi shi wa n du langai gap lu ai da. Wa n du langai gap lu ai dai majaw shi gaw wa n du dai hpe she na hprut di kadoi ka sai, na hprut di kadoi na she nambai dan na wa ndu dai hpe she nam hte bai gap gap di magap da ai da. Shanhte kaw nat ndai nhkrut hte wawt ai wa grai chyoi tak grai chye ai nat yu chye ai wa nga ai. Dai majaw ndai wa hpe chyam na re, ndai wa tsun ai jaw ai njaw ai naw chyam na re ngu shi gaw myit ai da. Dai majaw ndai moi gaw shaba n wawt shi ai anhte jinghpaw ni gaw nhkrut ndai ram re nlung langai nga ai nlung dai hpe noi da di she nlung dai hpe kawat di she shaba nwawt wawt ai hku nga dai hpe gara hku rai gayet dat ai, bai nwawt shara wa e ngai wa ndu langai gap sai. Dai shi gaw wa ndu si sai ntsun ai. Shi na kadoi wa mung ntsun majaw wa ndu ndai si na i hkrung na i ngai lu sha na i nlu sha na i nang ning wawt wawt yu ngu, shi ning wawt hpe teng teng goi wawt dat yu yang dai shaloi shi gaw tsun ai da, nsi ai ndai wa ndu nsi ai. Wa ndu ndai hkrung di hto hkawm mat sai, hto ya nam tawm tawm re hkawm mat sai. Dang shi gaw dai shaloi kei kaning re nsi na nang goi le wa si hpang na kadoi wa ai na, wa na ndai re le ngu madun na hku nga, dai ningwawt shara wa gaw gaya di she nlung dai gra di she oi di kabai dat ai hku rai nga yawng gamang mat wa yawng kabai kabai ga kau dat ai, ganing re ngai hpe gaya jahta ai ningwawt tawng nlung nang gaw ngu da, hpang jahpawt gaw nhkum tu yau gaw mare masha ni yawng hpe saw sai ya ngai wa ndu gap da sai dai majaw hpya sha sa ga ngu sa yawng sa yu yawng ka gun ai gun, wa ndu wa mye da. Shi shana gap da ai wa ndu wa n nga di hkra, ar deng gaw kaning rai sai ngu hkan sai hkan hkrai hkan hkan hkrai hkan, hkan tim ndep jahtum gaw hto nat ga jan ga du mat ai hku nga nhum tu yau gaw hkan reng dai kaw na ni gaw e nang hkum hkan sa nhkum tu yau e hkum hkan sa dai majaw nang nang de gaw hkum hkan sa myi nang hpe mahtang anhte kumhpa jaw na nang hpe tsi jaw dat na. Myi nang kran magap dat ai hpun dai gaw nhkrung nsi si re, hkrung wa ai baw tsi re, dai tsi hkrung tsi nan re nang dai e magap ai wa n du gaw si ai bai hkrung bran mat ai re. Dai majaw nhte nhkum amyu ni hpe ndai tsi jaw dat na ngu hku rai nga dai majaw dai ni oh ra masha ni anhte jinghpaw ni gaw gayaw gaya lagaw daw hpa re mung nhkum ni manat yang mai ai. Nhkum ni tsi nhkum ta gaw tsi re ngu hku nga dai majaw nhkum tu yau gaw dai kaw na wa jan ga kaw na wa di she tsi jaw dat sa hku nga shi gaw tsi tsi ai amyu tai mat ai, dai majaw re di she bai oh nwawt shara hpe tsun ai hku rai nga e nang tsun ai mahtang jaw ai. Myi yet nang tsun ai jaw ai. She re, kaja wa ngai mahtang tsi lap e magap ai majaw wa ndai hkrung wa ai re ngu da. Dai kaw na gaw na nlung dai grai reng ai she re ngu, dai kaw na tam sai hku nga, tam yang gaw nlung gaw shi yawng kabai ga di chyi sha law yawng gama mat sai, ting dai she gara kaw gama ai ta nga yang, nlung dai poi hkyep gama ai gaw hto shaba lap de shaba lap ngu ndai ram ram galu lap nga ai dai shaba pawt de yawng gama mat ai hku nga. Um reng gaw nlung dai pyi dai ram hkra nyam yang gaw ndai shi hkra ai shaba lap ndai hpe she nlung mung nnga sai re majaw ndai shaba lap she bai wawt ga ngu di shaba lap je di she bai nwawt wawt ai, anhte shan gap yang lu na nlu na hpyen lawt yang dang na ndang na kaning rai yang ndai nta kaw ndai lamu ga kaw nta gap yang hkrak na nhkrak na mahkra dai shaba wawt nna she anhte dai hku asak hkrung ai re da. |
